Friedrich Merz was the most pro-US politician in Germany – his shift could be historic for Europe | Jörg Lau for Europe |

guardian.co.uk (nprofile…z4y7)
✍️ Friedrich Merz, the leader of the conservative CDU, has expressed a desire to create unity in Europe and achieve independence from the US, a significant reversal from his previous pro-American stance.
👉 Merz has expressed a desire to create unity in Europe and achieve independence from the US
👉 He has pledged to create unity in Europe as quickly as possible
👉 This is a significant reversal from his previous pro-American stance
👉 Merz has been critical of US interference in German politics
👉 He has pledged to loosen spending and increase borrowing for defense and infrastructure investments

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quoting nevent1q…cd3h

guardian.co.uk (nprofile…z4y7)

The lifelong atlanticist was frank after his election victory: Nato is on the brink, and Germany must reassess its core beliefs on defenceIt is hard to overstate the importance of Friedrich Merz’s urgent message to the nation after his win in the German elections. This, after all, is the beginning of a new, dangerous era in European security. It would be his “absolute priority”, Merz said, immediately after victory for the CDU/CSU was confirmed, to create unity in Europe as quickly as possible, “so that, step by step, we can achieve independence from the US”. He added: “I never thought I would have to say something like this on a television programme.”Indeed. For the leader of the conservative CDU, a lifelong believer in the transatlantic security alliance, this is a significant reversal. And it is highly personal for Merz: there is hardly a more pro-American politician in Germany than the man who worked for the investment company BlackRock and was the long-serving chairman of the influential lobbying group Atlantik-Brücke (Atlantic Bridge).Jörg Lau is an international correspondent for the German weekly Die Zeit Continue reading...
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/feb/26/friedrich-merz-us-europe-german-election-victory-nato-defence